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economist sunsuntribune health saturday may 3 2003 west nile shots for horses already in high gear three veterinarians protect vital element of regions economy by joan ransberry staff writer york regions horses are getting needled a west nile virus vaccination program is targeting horses after four in the area tested positive for the potentially fatal disease last year with 20000 horses living on 1400 properties in york region dr peter weidelich one of the regions three equine veterinarians is espe cially busy so far ive vaccinated 200 hors es and i still have about 200 to do said dr weidelich of stouffvilles town and country animal hospital im telephoning my clients reminding them of the need to get their horses protected west nile was first identified in the united states four years ago its a mosquitoborne virus that causes an inflammation in the brain called encephalitis mosquitos get the virus from birds and pass it on to other birds humans and other species including horses joined by equine veterinarians ralph watt of markham and mike azjak of mount albert dr weidlelich explained the initial vac cination for west nile requires two injections three to six weeks apart followed by an annual booster sjiot the vaccination may include a booster every six months for horses that travel to high risks areas such as the united states where mosqui- to populations survive yearround also the stress of travel may com promise some animals immune systems the ministry of agriculture and food is taking a stringent approach to make sure horses are protected last year west nile was the largest insectborne epidemic ever record ed in the western hemisphere min istry spokesman dr paul innes said horses with west nile experi ence muscle twitches and rapidly become unsteady on their feet other signs are difficulty walking knuckling over head tilt inability to stand circling overall weakness paralysis of the limbs and blind ness approximately 30 per cent of horses with the virus die three horses in the gta died of west nile last year while the province lost 30 horses dr weidelich said close to 40 per cent of the hors es in the gta live in york region the majority of them in king east gwillimbury and whitchurch- stouffville keeping york regions horses healthy is critical to the industrys economy said eric lismanis whitchurchstounvilles economic development officer an average of 3300 is spent annually on each horse in york region a regionwide expendi ture of 37 million york regions equine industry generates 6500 fulltime jobs mr lismanis added so far ive vaccinated 200 horses and i still have about 200 to do no cattle dogs cats or other species are known to have west nile at this time dr innes stressed in humans the virus progresses slowly but in horses west nile is fastacting theres a rapid onset in horses dr innes said york regions human population has not escaped west nile last year two people in the region tested positive for the virus a woman who was visiting thornhill also contracted west nile all three recovered at home the virus tends to closely follow the migratory patterns of birds humans and other animals do not carry enough virus in their blood for it to be transmitted to other ani mals or humans veterinarians welcome canadian winters since cold tem peratures kill viruses while horse farm owners are encouraged to take advantage of vaccinations they are also remind ed to reduce the amount of stand ing water available for mosquito breeding eliminate any area where water can pool such as old tires unused buckets rain barrels or water troughs dr innes said horses should be kept indoors or out of cool shady moist area during dawn and dusk the peak of mosquito activity times file photo monty gets his west nile booster shot from veterinarian peter weidelich stephanie vanditzhuysen of stouffville keeps the horse still york region vets are busy innoculating horses which are highly susceptible to the west nile virus no west nile threat from ponds marshes conservation authorities your stormwater pond and neighbourhood marsh arent try ing to kill you local conservation authorities say both authorities covering york regions river watersheds have been hearing from callers who want nearby wedands filled in but staff say the mosquito species carrying west nile virus breed in still water found around homes or in storm sewer catch basins not natural areas they are even sticking up for the mosquito a part of the food chain for many creatures if you kill them all youre basi cally eliminating the food source said mike walters environmental services manager of the lake simcoe region conservation authority the toronto and region conservation authority adopted a protocol last week to deal with aggressive requests from citizens who want something done to stop mosquitos breeding in wedands and stormwater ponds some callers will be given fact sheets on the importance of wet- lands and about west nile stating few stormwater ponds are mos quito breeding sites and suggest ing they pose litde or no risk to nearby residents if you kill them all youre basically eliminating the food source the primary west nile carrier is the common house mosquito culex pipiens which breeds in birdbaths pool covers catch basins or other urban spots where water can sit undisturbed for a week newmarket and king have passed bylaws requiring home- owners to remove standing water markham and east gwillimbury will introduce bylaws by may 12 in areas where the virus was found the regions catch basins will be treated with pellets of methoprene a larvicide georgina mayor jeff holec has said canals and some stormwater ponds in keswick will also be treat ed with larvicide because the water is so low right now some callers have asked mr walters if they should cover their back yard ponds he has suggested installing fountains or devices to aerate the water stocking ponds with mos quitoeating minnows or installing bird houses or bat houses nearby durham region will monitor its stormwater ponds this year to see if they harbour mosquitos with the virus he said meanwhile the trca will mon itor natural areas and help check for evidence methoprene seeding harms species other than mosqui toes the lsrca is expected to set its own west nile policies later this month mikeadler with files from john slykhuis victoria victoria fumis flings sofas beds lighting vases entertainment units more hwt7 i yorktich h l hwv407 efegant sofa mm italian leather sofas directly from the factory tel 9059481135 monfo 117 pm satsnn 116 pm 8261 woodbine ave unit 23 and 56 markham tel 9059479363